


Bittersweet

by masked



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Confessions, Fluff, M/M, Surprise Kissing, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2019-09-06 21:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16840561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masked/pseuds/masked
Summary: Oh, sure. It’s not like Castiel wasn’t Dean’s best friend and didn’t get a candy-gram from him while everyone else in their group of friends got one from him every single year or anything. Yeah, it’s justfine. (Even Gabriel gets one every year.Gabriel, andhedoesn’t get one?Really?)





	Bittersweet

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Jan 31, 2014 on [here](http://deancasweek-blog.tumblr.com/post/75138560383/bittersweet).
> 
> This was a secret santa gift for vulcanhearted on tumblr!

Castiel didn’t even anticipate for it anymore.

Well, okay. He _did_. He was just… Disappointed, to say the least. Again.

“Stop sulking,” Jo chirped, already devouring the little red heart-shaped lollipop with her name wrapped around the middle of its stem.

“I’m not sulking,” Castiel sulked.

“I’m sure he has a good reason for it.”

“I don’t care if I don’t get anything.” Castiel crossed his arms defiantly.

If that was pity in Jo’s eyes, Castiel wanted to see exactly none of it. He huffed with annoyance and stared down at whatever was in front of him.

Like every year, the student council decided to hold a candy-gram for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, which also happened to fall on the Friday of the week. Students could sign up with a small fee of 50 cents to get the sugary cherry-flavoured, heart shaped lollipops sent to their friends and partners on Valentine’s day before the start of homeroom.

This year, like every year of their high school years, it seemed Dean also participated and sent everyone in their group of friends a candy-gram.

Castiel said “seemed”, because this year, like every year, he had never been on the receiving end of Dean’s candy-grams. Ever.

“Why don’t _you_ just send _him_ one if it bugs you so much?” Jo asked, her tongue now a redder tint after the lollipop.

Castiel only glared back. He certainly wasn’t going to bite the bait no matter how much Jo probed, nor did he have to explain himself. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the teacher, who was now starting the class.

 _He_ couldn’t send one to Dean because if he _did_ send one, he’d probably send one _only_ to Dean and that might seem like there was a special _meaning_ behind the stupid candy-gram or something and then everyone will _know_ _._

Castiel sighed indignantly. It was the final year of their high school, and he was grumping over something as insignificant as a candy-gram.

It was still inevitable that he felt left out. Again.

* * *

Dean was seriously engaged in a conversation with Charlie in the hallway when Castiel found him. Castiel pointedly ignored the lollipop sticking out of Charlie’s mouth.

“Jesus,” Dean started. “A little warning, Cas?”

Castiel only pressed his lips into a thin line in response. Seeing this, Dean frowned in confusion. “What?”

Castiel had half a thought to finally confront Dean about it after 4 years of this. The question climbed up his throat and he could almost taste it on his tongue, but instead he replied, “Nothing. Lunch?”

Dean’s frown only deepened but didn’t question him further. Castiel somewhat wished he had.

Aside from Jo and Charlie, he could also see that Pamela, Bela, Lisa and Anna had received them. On the first year he thought it was because he was a _he_ , and words couldn’t describe how bitter Castiel felt that day when he found out Andy, Ash, Benny, Adam and Sam got one as well. Even Balthazar and _Gabriel_ got one, and if that didn’t say something, then Castiel didn’t know what did.

Honestly, it was like a yearly slap to the face.

He was angrily chewing on his sandwich when Dean decided to lean closer towards him and whisper in his ear, causing him to almost drop his sandwich. “Cas, can I talk to you later?”

Castiel turned his head just enough to lock his eyes on Dean, with his stupid plump lips parted slightly and his stupid freckles peppered all over his face and his stupid, stupid green eyes staring at him intently.

“Alright.” Castiel hushed, because Dean was whispering so it must mean he wanted to confide in him about something.

Dean grinned from ear to ear, leaning away. Castiel mentally stopped himself from chasing after the warmth. “Cool. Meet me at the car after school.”

Castiel shrugged and stared at the pale green lettuce wedged between the breads of his sandwich. He never could stay mad at Dean for long.

It was infuriating.

* * *

“I thought you wanted to talk,” Castiel stated, watching as Dean started the car.

“Yeah, but not here.” Dean replied.

“You seem nervous.”

“What?” Dean made that half-smile, half-frown face he made whenever he was denying something. “I’m not nervous.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.” Dean side-eyed Castiel. “Shut up.”

“I’m not going to judge you, whatever it is that you’re going to tell me.”

“Uh.” Dean chuckled, sounding as nervous as Castiel guessed, though he didn’t know why he seemed so nervous in the first place. His jitteriness was almost making _Castiel_ nervous.

They pulled into an empty field they often came to whenever they needed to talk privately. Dean shut the engine off and stared out the windshield. Castiel waited patiently.

“Okay, so…” Dean shuffled in his seat, pointedly not looking at Castiel. “So, uh.”

“Yes?”

Dean bit his bottom lips and gulped. “I.”

“You?”

“I.” Dean started again, only to stop himself again. “Christ, why is this so hard,” he muttered, rubbing the crease between his eyebrows.

Now Castiel was worried. “If you’re in trouble of any sort, I’m happy to offer you any type of help you need, Dean.”

“What? _No_ , jesus.” Dean scratched his head and cleared his throat. He licked his lips and took a deep breath. “I. Like you.”

Well, yes. That was obvious from the start of their friendship, Castiel thought. “I like you too.”

“ _What_?”

“What?”

Dean opened and closed his mouth like a fish. “No, Cas, I mean.” His lips were going to wear out at the rate he kept licking them. “I _like_ you, like you.”

“Oh.” And just like that, Castiel was sitting in Dean’s car’s passenger seat, trying to wrap his head around the idea. Dean? Liked him?

Dean _liked_ him?

“How long?”

Dean flushed. “For a while.”

Castiel frowned. “Shorter than a year?”

“Uh, no-”

“You never sent me a candy-gram before,” Castiel blurted out faintly. His head was still a space of white noise with no thoughts. He thought he might be panicking a little. _Dean liked him?_

“What?”

“Candy-gram. For Valentine’s. You never sent me any before. Why?”

“Christ.” Dean rubbed his face in distress. “ _That’s_ what you ask me out of all the things?”

“If you like me, then why have you never sent me a candy-gram before?” Castiel wasn’t complaining. He was just curious, that was all.

“Because-” Dean held his breath without finishing his sentence and Castiel stared with a frown in anticipation. “This is _not_ how I imagined this conversation going,” Dean wheezed out.

“I wasn’t expecting a confession,” Castiel retorted.

“Yeah, well. Uh.” Dean seemed incredulous. “I. It’s. It’s stupid.”

Castiel crossed his arms indignantly with raised eyebrows in question. Dean huffed at the sight. He laid his open palms on his laps and pointedly _not_ look at Castiel. “I thought about, uh, telling you before. Last year, and the year before that too.” He rubbed his neck. “I just didn’t want to include you in the group that got candy-grams from me, cuz, well.”

Dean turned his gaze to Castiel and they locked gazes for a minute. “Cuz I’d like to be more than friends,” he mumbled, his shoulders a little hunched from dejection at Castiel’s unresponsiveness.

“Dean.”

“Don’t,” Dean replied, jerking away from the extended hand. “Okay? I get it, you made it pretty clear that you’re uncomfortable-”

“I never said that!”

“And anyway, I thought I’d tell you before we both left for college but-”

“Dean.”

“Cas,” Dean said exasperatedly. “Let’s just, pretend this never happened alright? I’d still like to be friends-”

Castiel tasted blood after slamming his lips against Dean’s, his teeth cutting his lips. Dean let out a surprised muffle and flailed his arms, finally resting them on Castiel’s shoulders. Castiel cupped Dean’s cheek and pressed his chest against his, and Dean reciprocated the kissing after the initial shock had passed.

After some time, Castiel gently pulling away. His smile bloomed at the sight of Dean’s dumfounded face and the way his mouth hung open. He hid his mouth behind his hand and lowered his gaze, unable to hold in the laugh bursting out.

Dean’s mouth opened and close, imitating a fish and Castiel laughed even harder at the sight. The weight that was pressing him down all lifted like magic and Castiel wiped away the tear. “Sorry, just your face-”

Dean blushed a deep red, though a smile was creeping on his face. “That was a terrible first kiss.” He licked his lips idly. “I think I cut my lip.”

“Me too.” Castiel leaned over again, and they kissed with a little less force this time.

Castiel didn’t think he needed the cheap cherry lollipops anymore if it meant he was the only receiver of Dean’s sweet kisses.


End file.
